Professor Thomas Ference’s principal interests include strategic management, leadership, the management of professionals, career development and management, and the management of not-for-profit organizations. Professor Ference is founder and past director of the Columbia Business School Institute for Not-for-Profit Management and has also consulted with a number of prominent not-for-profit institutions including the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, The New York City Police Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The Robin Hood Foundation, The New York City Fire Department, The Population Council, The New York Hospital Care Network, The Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Holy Name Hospital, Herbert Birch Services for Children, Harlem Hospital, and New York State Education Department/New York City Board of Education, among others. He is past chair of the Board of the Volunteer Consulting Group and past chair of the Board of Reality House. Dr. Ference has published numerous books, reports, and articles in professional journals. He is the founder and head of The Riverside Group, a management consulting and executive development firm, and has consulted with, designed, and conducted executive development programs for many Fortune 500 firms, including Novartis, Aventis, Knoll Pharmaceutical, Baxter International, Searle, Hoechst AG, The NPD Group, Pfizer, AIG, The US Trust Company, McCann-Erickson Worldwide, Moody’s Investor Services, McGraw-Hill, The BOC Group, IBM, and Price Waterhouse LLP. He has taught in executive programs in the UK, Malaysia, Brazil, France, and Spain.